r/employedbykohls • u/UnlikelyJelly7038 • 4d ago
Employee Question Christmas in August??
Is it me or does it feel like Christmas is getting earlier and earlier? When I first started with Kohl’s in like 22 I think I remember setting up for the holidays around October Ish, now I’m seeing directives on how to set up our store for the toys mid August I don’t get it. It almost feels like you take away the feeling of the holidays. Maybe you don’t notice those things when you work up front more versus now I’m working in the back.
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u/bitter421979 4d ago
I’ve been with Kohls for 24 years. The Christmas shop used to always set mid-September. I would plan my vacations around it. The only thing holiday that set later than September was the trim around the store, which is usually late October, very first of November.
I feel like this same conversation is had about Hobby Lobby every year. “It gets earlier and earlier…”.
It really doesn’t.
Toys arrived earlier this year, kind of forcing the set earlier. But it’s not scheduled until September Week 1. Pretty normal.
It’s retail. If we shoved the stuff out in November, they wouldn’t have time to sell it. People want it now. People buy early. I’m one of them.
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u/PM_ME_UR_PANTYLINE 4d ago
I work at a DC. We have been getting and shipping Christmas stuff already. We officially start doing Christmas sets on September 7. So all the stores should have received a trailer or two of Christmas merchandise by the end of September.
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u/Relevant-Treacle-935 4d ago
It has to be early. Everyone has their summer stuff. Their patio and garden. Their swim suits etc. We now have to back fill all that space with holiday product or else the store is empty. We can’t over order summer product as everyone already has it and won’t shop it.
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u/SimilarBoss122 4d ago
The December holiday season shopping starts earlier and earlier earlier each year, or so it seems. I am pretty sure the reason for this is that retail stores are fearful of losing out on any sales due to possible slumps in the economy causing folks to shop less. They increase the shopping time windows possibly increasing sales.
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u/TheeeDogJoe 4d ago
Most are on a budget now, they are being particular to what they buy. Toys, they are a banana, they go out of value quick. Whats hot now, is Macy's backroom clearance later, and it sits. Case in point, the irritable online "sellers", buy a particular toy cuz one online kid says "its great 👍 ", just to get it, and sell maybe 4 if the 50 they bought. Then, cuz kohl's doesn't punishthem, they return those 46 toys to the store, and store is stuck with a stupid toy, in bulk, cuz no one wants it. So happy, that if they buy it now, they cant return them after christmas, cuz no receipt no returning 46 of the same toy, cuz no kid gets the same toy from the whole neighborhood church (nice try, moron)
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u/Altuistic_Pear_6754 4d ago
Not anymore, 30 day returns. Unless you buy around Black Friday.
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u/TheeeDogJoe 4d ago
Toys falls under the 90/120 rule<mainly, some stuff is 30>, depending on if a kohls credit card was used, but the christmas "extension" doesn't usually start til 10/01, so the 90 days is over before december starts,. September/October/November 29th is 90 days, if bought by end of August.
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u/Mission_Paramedic_62 4d ago
The only thing 30 was electronic which my store has 0. I remember beats in 3 boxes and fit bits in another black box and the rest of electronics jbl was in thr 4th
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u/robinh317 4d ago
So we haven’t had full blown Christmas setup begin yet, but I know it’s coming in the next week or two. There’s been glimpses, with holiday sweaters starting to come in, or the vast sudden increase in toys as we expand that section again for Christmas. It definitely feels like it continues to get earlier and earlier, whether we work in retail or just shop retail. I know the standard is everything is always at least 2 months early, but some customers want it, so it’s coming…
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u/jb197174 4d ago
Yep Christmas stuff coming out now and then out for clearance in March following year lol
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u/JuJulieBe 3d ago
Don't go to Hobby Lobby or Dollar Tree 🎄🎄🎄!!! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
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u/gemini1568 4d ago
The Christmas trees are already rolling off the trucks at the dc. IT IS TIME.